Breakdown of Im ganzen Zentrum gibt es manchmal keinen Verkehr.
kein
no, not any
manchmal
sometimes
es gibt
there is / there are
ganz
quite, completely; whole
im
in the (used with months) / in the (contraction of in + dem)
das Zentrum
the center (downtown)
der Verkehr
the traffic
Questions & Answers about Im ganzen Zentrum gibt es manchmal keinen Verkehr.
Why does the adjective ganz end in -en here?
The phrase Im ganzen Zentrum is in the dative case. Im is a contraction of in dem (in the), which is a definite article. Whenever an adjective comes after a definite article in the dative case, it always gets the ending -en, regardless of the noun's gender.
Where is the definite article before ganzen Zentrum if we are following the rule for definite articles?
It is built into the word Im. Im is a contraction of the preposition in and the neuter dative article dem. Because the definite article dem is technically there, it triggers the -en adjective ending for ganzen.
Why is the word order gibt es instead of es gibt?
In German main clauses, the conjugated verb must always be in the second position. Since this sentence starts with the entire location block Im ganzen Zentrum in the first position, the verb gibt must come second, pushing the subject es to the third position.
Why do we say keinen Verkehr instead of just kein Verkehr?
The expression es gibt (there is/are) always takes a direct object in the accusative case. Since Verkehr (traffic) is a masculine noun (der Verkehr), the negative word kein has to take the masculine accusative ending, becoming keinen.
Learn Im ganzen Zentrum gibt es manchmal keinen Verkehr and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free